The invention relates to diagnostic imaging equipment, and more particularly relates to those parts of diagnostic imaging equipment that physically support the patient while the patient is undergoing an imaging study. In its most immediate sense, the invention relates to a patient handling system for use with nuclear medicine imaging equipment.
Nuclear medicine imaging assesses the radionuclide distribution within a patient after the in vivo administration of radiopharmaceuticals. The imaging systems that assess the radionuclide distribution comprise radiation detectors and associated electronics. The imaging systems detect x-ray or gamma ray photons derived from the administered radionuclides.
Many current nuclear medicine imaging systems often use a table or pallet to support the patient during scanning. This table presents a single fixed planar surface for the patient to lie upon. In general, during an imaging procedure, the medical practitioner performing the scan will start with the table in a loading position. The medical practitioner will place the patient upon the table. The medical practitioner will then move the table into an imaging position, often by moving the table into the field of view of a gamma camera in a detector attached to a gantry.
Many patients who require nuclear medicine imaging are infirm or otherwise physically debilitated. This can make placing, or loading, the patient onto a patient table difficult and painful for the patient, as well as time consuming for the medical practitioner performing the scan. As patient throughput is a determining factor in the economic viability of any medical scanning procedure, any technique of decreasing the time and difficulty of patient loading is advantageous.
Some newer nuclear medicine imaging systems utilize smaller gamma cameras specifically for cardiac nuclear medicine imaging. In some such systems, it may be preferable to have the patient sitting while the imaging occurs. Using a chair for patient support in a nuclear medicine imaging system reduces the total area, or footprint, required by the system. Furthermore, it is often much easier to load a patient onto a chair than a table. However, a sitting patient will sag and move in an upright sitting position, leading to a degraded image.
Thus, there remains a need in the field of nuclear medicine for a patient support that increases ease of patient loading while maintaining a low level of patient movement.